Influencer Vikki Lenola Talks Building a Successful Brand

In 2020, having an online presence is more important now than it’s ever been before. The way we view marketing has evolved in front of our eyes as we’ve held the evolution in our hands. One of the biggest changes to marketing in recent history is the increasing trust of social media influencers. Many of us follow a different variety of influencers that fall in line with the values and interests we share.

While there is a common misconception that influencers just take pretty pictures and somehow gain a mass following, there is a lot more to it than that. Influencer Vikki Lenola shares with us her journey to success within influncing and branding, and tells us what she loves to share with her followers.

[Feature photo credit: Sen Anup]

The Tidbit: You’ve made quite the splash on Facebook and Instagram, garnering over 500,000 followers! What has your experience in social media influencing been like?

Vikki Lenola: It has been a lot of work but rewarding! I genuinely love to network with and be supportive of others, so I think that’s why I see it as something I enjoy rather than a chore. When I started about 5 years ago, I didn’t know anyone in the industries I’m in. As I grew more in my career, my pages grew more and vice versa.

TT: What does it mean to you to be an influencer? What advice would you give to others trying to build a brand/following through use of social media?

VL: I think people follow influencers for one or more of these 4 things: news, education, entertainment, or what they stand for. So, to really build a brand, you are offering this kind of value on certain topics and bringing some sort of consistency with your message.

Although having great content is important, it’s not as important as helping people discover you, in my opinion. There are countless beautiful accounts out there with hardly any followers. That’s because you can’t just post beautiful photos and expect people to miraculously find you. You get what you put into it. If you’re not in the news regularly (and often even if you are), you’re going to have to get active on social media to see growth. You can do S4S (I used to do this more than 100 times a week when I first started), collaborate on projects, you can be supportive of others and engage other accounts, engage with those commenting on your posts… I think a good rule of thumb is to remember to use social media as intended; to be social and interact with others. That way you don’t have to worry so much about what the current algorithm is.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Yaamon

TT: You’ve recently launched the non-profit, Vegan Fashion Canada. What can you tell us about this organization?

VL: Vegan Fashion Canada is a fashion show featuring conscious, compassionate brands. All proceeds benefit Animal Justice, the organization leading the legal fight for animals in Canada. We also like to show off and encourage using textiles that are kind to both animals and the planet.

TT: What is the major takeaway you hope your followers get from your posts/brand?

VL: To be kind to all animals, the environment and to each other. That often means thinking about what brands we choose to support, whether for food, fashion, entertainment or otherwise.

TT: What’s next in store for you?

VL: I’m currently finishing up my last couple of assignments for school to complete my degree this spring. Other than that, life is on hold for me and a lot of people right now during the Covid-19 pandemic. Safe wishes to everyone!